Normandy. Liberation of France. Invasion of Europe. My uncle jumped with the 101st Airborne a few hours before June 6th. He fought here, at Market Garden, and at the Battle of the the Bulge. He received three purple hearts. He made three jumps. His brother went ashore with the Big Red One.
Appreciate his service very much. My maternal grandfather was also at D-Day with the 29th ID and earned his PH there.
My Pastor's Dad, who he never met, was buried there.
Every year on June 6th I wake up feeling humbled and grateful.
I haven't the words to say what I feel about those brave men. All of them, those who survived, and especially those who did not.
There's nothing civil about this war.
My grandfather crossed the secured Normandy beaches on the 8th with one of the 3rd Army’s infantry divisions. Lots of action. Battle of the Bulge. 3 PH, 1 Bronze Star.
It was not in vain.
My dad was part of operation Torch in N Africa, 1st ID. He talked about the campaign in Sicily. Somehow he missed D day but was in Europe for the rest of the war. He made it home, otherwise I wouldn't be here.
In the P-F basket of deplorables.
This is also the anniversary of the Liberation of Rome. Uncle James - grandma's kid brother- was a combat engineer who participated in the Anzio landing and fought his way up Italy, including Monte Cassino.
On this day in 1944, he was with a mortar team at the outskirts of the city; they had either a dud round or took counter fire, and he was the only survivor from the squad.
That ended the war for him; it was 6 months before he was able to leave the hospital. He passed in 2019.
They were such determined people.
Field above Juno Beach, Normandy, 6/6/2019, taken by a Canadian friend who was there with his dad to commemorate the 75th anniversary. Dad was a CANLOAN officer leading a unit of The Gordon Highlanders.
"If I ever needed to hunt in a tuxedo, then this would be the rifle I'd take." - okie john
"Not being able to govern events, I govern myself." - Michel De Montaigne
I read this to my boys as we raised the flag in our front yard.
Amen to that.Originally Posted by blues
"Therefore, since the world has still... Much good, but much less good than ill,
And while the sun and moon endure, Luck's a chance, but trouble's sure,
I'd face it as a wise man would, And train for ill and not for good." -- A.E. Housman
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